Auxiliary car step



Patented Aug. 8 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

[rllLPili P. SWANSON AND A. CARLSON.

AUXILIARY CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 27, I922.

m sglwu P. SWANSON AND A. CARLSON.

AUXILIARY CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILEDMAR.27,1922.

2 sweets-swan 2.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

lll lll l ldll) AUXILIARY CAR, STEP.

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Specification of Letters Patent.-

Pat'ented An 3, 1922.

Application filed March 27, 1822. Serial No. 546,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER Swanson and Anni. OARLSON, both citizens ofthe United States, residing at Ely, in the county of St. Louis and Stateof h linnesota. have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAuxiliary Car Steps, of which the following isa specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to auxiliary steps for a railway car platform,such as illustrated in our United States Patent No. 1,400,577 ofDecember 20th, 1921, auxiliary car-steps, and has special reference toan improved means for operating and controlling same.

The principal object is to provide a more simple, durable and effectivemeans of this character.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the furtherdescription thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this applicationin which like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the broken away lower portion of thevestibule of'a railway car showing the under back View of the steps intothe vestibule with the auxiliary step and trap door of the vestibuleopen; v

Figure 2 is an enlarg' edv elevation of the operating and controllingmechanism, showing portions of the vestibule and trap door in section,as well as the miter gears;

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the trap door bolt in its doorholding position;

Figure at is a similar view of the bolt in its door releasing position;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the bolt operating mechanism; and r Figure 6is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the connection of the handoperating lever.

1 and 2 represent the opposite side walls of the ordinary steps into thevestibule of a railway passenger car, to the lower outer corners ofwhich is pivotally suspended by suitable arms 3 the auxiliary step 4-,the arms 3 being pivotally attached to the rearmost corners of the step,as at 5, so that'the step when lowered into receptive position for apedestrian will occur in proper sequence with the stationary vestibulesteps, and, when folded upwardly and backwardly, will occur in closeproximity to the under side of the lowermost stationary step. E 'pacedhorizontal arms 66 are rigidly fixed to the rearmost edge of the stepextend rearwardly thereof, and are bent upwardly, as at 7, where theyare pivotally connected, as at 8, to depending arms 9-9 bifurcated attheir lower ends, rigidly fixed tothe transverse rotatable shaft 10,which is suitably journalled, as at 11, upon the inner face of the stepwall 2, and, at its op posite end, passes through the outer step wall.1, as at 12, where it is journalled within the two-part gear housing"13; the latter being rigidly attached to the outer face of the step wall1 bysuitalole bolts, as at 14.

Within the gear housing 18 and attached near the extreme end of theshaft is the miter gear 15 meshing with a similar gear 16 attached nearthe end of the vertical operating shaft 17 the latter being journalledat its lower end within the housing 13. In this assembly we prefer toallow the extreme ends of boththe shafts 10 and 17 to extend withinrecessed portions within the housing. as illustrated at 18 for the shaft10. and at 19 for the shaft 17, so that washers 20 may be employedadjacent both ends the hubs. and in this manner provide for convenientadjustment of the gears by replacing or changing the thickness of thewashers at the various places in order to accomplish the desiredadjustment of the gears. y The gear housing 13 is made of two separatehalves for convenience in assembly, and wholly encloses the gears toprevent ohstruction by the elements and to permit'of being filled withheavy grease, as is customary in similar devices. I

The shaft 17 extends vertically upward through the deck 21 of thevestibule and adjacent the trap door opening 22 therein, where a washeror pedestal 23 is provided, above which is rigidly fined upon-the shaftthe door controlling crank arm 24:. The shaft 17 continues on up to asuitable bracket 25 fixed; to the inner side wall '26'of the vestibuleand above which and onto the shaft is fixed the operating lever holder27 which pivotally carries, as at 28, the operating lever 29. Within theperiphery of the bracket 25 are formed two notches 30 and 31, the latterbeing so positioned as to receive the operating lever 29 as it isallowed to drop downwardly from the holder 2'2 when the step 4 is fullylowered for action,

while when the shaft 17 is rotated for raising the step 4 the lever 29will drop'into the notch 30. a I

When the shaft 17 is thus rotated it is apparent that the same willimpart reciprocal motion to the pitman 32 which is pivotally mounted, asat 33, in the bifurcated ends 1 of the crank arm 24. .The opposite endof this pi'tm-an -hasan-elongated slot 84 therein, throughlwhich ispositioned the pin 35 of thecrank arm 36 fixed to the short upright Vcrank shaft 137 journalled within the rec theupper endof the shaft 3.7is mounted a tangular shaft housing 38 of the door bolt 39 said housingbeing firmly attached to the deck '21 0f the vestibule in any desiredmanner. The Ebolt 39 is provided with an integral upright shank 140,which ex-tends longitudinally of the housing" 38 and carries thereuponan expansive spring 41 inter-- mediate of the head of the bolt and thepartition wall 42 within the housing so that at all times the tendencyof the spring 41 is tokeep "the bolt extended. The extreme inner end ofthe shank is provided with a cross-head 48 against which the cam 44,fixed rto thje' crank shaft 37, abuts, and whereby the rbOlt iswithdrawn. within the housing; when the crank shaft 87 is properlyrotated for such purpose; the bolt being shown in this position inFigure 4 :of the drawings while it is shown extended in Ami;

suitable hand crank 45 by which theshaft :8? may be rotated at will,except when the trap door 46 is opened, when it would be impossible tooperate the shaft 37 by hand l in 'such'a manner as to lock the trapdoor in closed position. However it may at times be quite desirable toopen the trap door when theauxiliary step 4 is-notbeing used, andinwhich event-the crank 45 may be [employed for such purpose, theelongated slot 34 in the itnian 32 permitting of same; such in dependentmanipulation of'the trap door, :of course, onlyrbeing possible when thehinged shaft 47 thereof is not directly connected with the main shaft10, asillustrated, and in which event the trap door may be equipped withcommon springhinges as is-custom ary. 1 Having" thus described ourinvention vtrhat we claim as new and desire to secure by 1 LettersPatent, is

1i Means for controllingthe trap door and auxiliary-step ofa rail'waycarplatform, said auxiliary step having 'a horizontally disposed shaftassociated therewith, comprising a vertically disposed shaft extendingupwardly :above the platform of the car and operatively connected withsaid hori zontal shaft, means cooperatively connectthe horizontal shaftand the trap door, means at the upper end of the vertical shaft formanually operating same, and locking means for the trap door directlycontrolled from the vertical shaft. 1

,2. llleans for controlling the trap door and auxiliary step on arailway car platform, 7

3, .Means for controlling'the doorand auxiliary step on railway carplatform, said auxiliary step having a horizontallydisposed shaftassociatedtherewith, comprising a vertically disposed shaft extendingupwardly above the platform of the car and operatively connected withsaid horizontal shaft, means at the upper end of the vertical shaft formanually operatingsame, locking means for thetrap ,doordirectlycontrolled from the vertical shaft, and said locking meanshaving associated therewith a second manually controlled vertical shaftfor 1w:

locking the door when the auxiliary step is not extended. I l. i

4The combination with an auxiliary step and trap doorfor the vestibuleof {a railway car having a horizontally disposed operating shaft, of avertically disposed shaft, the lower end of which is'coopera; tivelyconnected with the outermostend-of the horizontal. shaft by means.ofbevelled gear-s, a two-part housing wholly enclosing the bevelledgears and forming bearings for the ends of the shafts, means at theupper endvof ,the vertical shaft withinthe vestibule for manuallyoperating same and means whereby the trap (door of the vestibule maybecontrolled independently ofthe st ep coir trolling means. i

In testimony whereof we I hereunto affix our signatures in the presenceof two witnesses: a

i PETER SWAJNSQN;

OAIB'LSON- Witnesses:

Fanny LESKINEN,

] A. W. Nun-son.

